All Comments on 'Making an Honest Woman Ch. 02'

Keep writing. I'll keep reading.

Went from just ok, cliche 3 to an original 5 with that last sentence. Nice twist.

He's being to wimpy and had sex with her. Was gonna give a 3 but couldn't' get past that

oh fuck.

now the pi will have to do a lot more digging.

this marriage is toast.

more skeletons in the closet?

Well done, I was really looking forward to part two and you didn't disappoint.

Feel free to give us chpater 3 anytime! Like now lol Love the story!

Ok you have got me hooked with the last line. Women can be quite devious and men trusting and naive. Please don't let us wait too long to find out where you are going with this story.

What a kicker in that last line ! I can hardly wait to see where this goes. Thanks for a great story.

Leaving us with that cliffhanger!

But good job on this chapter. Some people are turned off that they've had sex this soon, but it's very common, especially if the spouses are in contact and want to try to reconcile. It's just not common in Loving Wives stories here. It's called "hysterical bonding." It can last for some time. It can be a distraction from addressing the issues at hand, though. But it's certainly not surprising that he acceded to sex after he found out what her lover could do for her that he had not.

Wonder what that meant.

Couple thing: I am so tired of politics. Everything seems to be based on that division today. I hate him, I love him. Liberals suck or are the greatest. Just tired of it. That is why I was annoyed by it. Not because of who, but because of bringing it into a story I was using to get away from life for a bit.

The daughter seems to be talking above her age. Might be a plot device to show more of fathers thoughts.

Great so far. Hope next chap comes sooner than this one did.

The tag line for this chapter forewarned of the ending.

I would have preferred Bonnie's information was made known to Daniel and was confirmed by him. Then have chapter end as the reader anticipates the corightfullytion in therapist meeting.

Because of tag line I rightfully expected that information would be contained in this chapter.

Still an interesting read.

I note some believe author is female. Guess because of Wendy in the name. I assumed author was male given act implied by name. Yes writer could be lesbian.

A completed profile would answer that question.

Yet we get all kinds of thoughts and observations from the guy that the men I know will never make. " She was an older woman-50s or early 60s, I guessed-with bright, brassy blonde hair, which looked professionally styled, large glasses with elaborate red plastic frames, and she was wearing a dark gray pantsuit with a white silk blouse."

Really?? The guy notices the material of the blouse and that her hair was "professionally styled". The guys on my bowling team wouldn't know a silk blouse if it bit them on the ass.

Now we have an administrative assistant blurting out that his wife cheats. She bases the decision to yell it to the rooftops on the fact he is looking for an apartment. That sure seems professional. Now he can ask for a refund on what he paid his P.I. This is reminiscent of a few stories where the wife turns out to be a serial cheater that "loves" her husband. I like the story so far with one complaint. There are too many unneeded words, phrases, and descriptions of food preparation, furniture, and other stuff most men really don't give a shit about. It just lessens my comfort with the husband being the strong silent type. Perhaps that is the desire of the writer. The husband thinks he is one thing, but his actions and observations are telling us readers that he is not really the man he claims to be.

In a comment to the first chapter I said that nothing much had happened in the story to alienate either the Consequences Crowd or the Reconciliation Tribe, and I predicted that the follow-up chapter would not be able to please both groups and the score would fall dramatically.

Well, I commented without allowing for the cunning and extreme cleverness of WendyLicker as author. Reconciliation seems to be proceeding apace, with only the slightest hints that it may not be successful. Appropriate consequences have been wrought on the cad who led his wife astray, and the last sentence hints at further possible wrongdoing that may yet lead to necessary retribution.

So everybody should be happy. This is one very accomplished author.

We'll just have to wait and see what happens in Chapter Three.

Lue

Ps: WendyLicker, I commented earlier that it would be helpful for me (and, I see, a few other readers) to know a little more about the influences that lead an author to write an interesting story such as this one. Could you possibly fill in a few of the blank spots in your biography page?

Keep writing. Ignore the trolls. Understand you have a good story and a great audience. Knowing the mindset of both protagonists is really very good even though we only have mostly his experience, not hers. Plus, this is balanced by a nice erotic sex description.

For me as a reader, it's nota minor one, but one that is growing more frustrating as the story continues. That issue is, her behavior the night he told he he was suspicious, and left on her date anyway. That action didn t come up in therapy, as I had hoped. It would have been one of the first things I'd wanted an answer for, if I was Dan.

For me, her subsequent words are not consistent with her behavior that night. That action isn't consistent with the logic of a serial cheater either. Once Dan made his suspicions very obvious, self-preservation should have kicked in. That alone should have made her not go out that night. If preservation of the marriage was a factor, that also should have prevented her from going out.

Her choice to leave, knowing Dan was concerned about an affair, only makes sense to me if she just didn't care about being caught or intentionally adding more fuel to Dan's concern. None of what has come after explains that. Dan is written as an intelligent person attempting to understand her and their situation, yet he has neither thought about this, or addressed her privately or in therapy about this.

Aside from that, I also enjoyed this chapter. I hope the wait for the third won't be as long. I was beginning to worry that haper 1 migbt be an orphan. Happy to see that isn't the case. I didn't need to reread the first chapter before reading this one. That's a testament to how much the story has stuck with me. Good job.

I'll say this... you're one HELL of a writer!! Just when we think there may be some kind of forward progress, BAM, another wrinkle is thrown in. For the first time in quite a while, though I THINK I can see the end, I CAN'T figure out HOW you're going to get there, or how many other bombs will drop. Well above EXCELLENCE in writing skill, and plot. Just post the next chapter sooner, if possible, but DO NOT sacrifice the story , for speed. 5* plus 5, for me.

my only issue, is why men always leave the home regardless if it's their wrong doing or not. I guess, I'm just an ass because I made her leave. It's my house and she fouled it so I told her to get out. And I sold it before the courts could give it to her. It pissed the judge off but so what.

I really enjoy your writing style and I'm thoroughly sucked into the story!

I hope the protagonist gets some tail himself as payback. Just forgiving the cheating slut always feels... hollow somehow and deeply unfair for the wronged party.

Surprising last lines at the end of chapters and the end of stories are sometimes a little contrived, but this one is great not just because it is a surprise, but because it completely blows up the world the first two chapters have been drawing for us. If the admin knows what she's talking about, we aren't in Kansas anymore, Dorothy.

Obviously, looking forward to the next chapter.

If this is an RAAC story - and it sure seems to be one - the curve ball at the very end is intriguing. I appreciate the absence of political commentary in this chapter - there is so much of that polarizing crap in our culture and I am tired of it. HDK is correct - there is too much detail at times; a good editor could help this author. I also note that the repentant woman is not realistic - IRL it would be hubby's fault - however, given the curve ball at the end of the chapter perhaps we will find out that the repentance in this case is not real.

First, I have to agree with your statement in the intro about the characters' views. I posted a similar comment ij Chapter 1. People always complain about "cardboard" characters, then complain when they're fleshed out!

"I had been careless; I had been complacent." - I hate this blaming himself. If his wife had a problem with how he was allocating his time and effort, she could/should have spoken up! He makes an excellent point, that his wife and family certainly enjoy the fruits of his concentration on his career! Just how willing would they be to settle for less material things in order to have more of him?

Of course they can take sides against their Mom! It's one thing to not deliberately come between kids and their mother, but if they do that on their own, that's their right!

"it will hurt her if she knows, and I don't want to hurt her, in addition to what I'm already doing to her by having an affair, so it's better just to keep lying." - I say to him what I say to the cheating wives: If it would hurt her to know, the answer isn't to "keep lying," it's to not/stop DOING it!

"I can see us with this already behind us" - Easy for her to say; it didn't happen to her!

"I never failed in my loyalty to you-" - That is pure bullshit! Loyal wives, OR husbands, don't fuck other people!

"The new Ellen will be a better wife to you than the old one ever was." - OR, as he says, the new Ellen will be a better cheater.

"[Divorce] will hurt her, but it will also hurt your children, and you will be the one who has to live with the guilt of causing so much suffering that could have been avoided." - Suffering that HE caused? The counselor has chosen sides. Time for a new counselor!

"The problem is not the theory. The problem is that you didn't turn to me; you turned to another man" - Bingo! She had issues? Talk to her husband!

Again, the bullshit that her husband "has" to see her as special, so it doesn't mean as much! If you love, desire and respect your husband, there is NOTHING you want more than to have him think that you're special.

That last sentence IS intriguing! Is there more that she's hiding, despite what she told him? How common is the knowledge of her affair(s)?

tale of a cuckold 1*

So does that last statement from the administration assistant that Mrs Tucker is caught at her game. Does she know more ,is there more to that statement . That is the whole question. Does this assistant have any knowledge she is a serial cheater. Or just blowing out hot air! Unless some more comes out reconcilliation would work and hold the family together. He still has to live with her deceit. He was able to have sex with her ,witch I find amazing knowing his pain. Chapter 3 should be very enlightening.

I don't ask your mom, sister, wife, daughter and grandma.....son

No one admires Drumpf. He's president because he's not the status quo, lying, rape apologizing shrew he ran against. No one in the USA votes for who they like, they vote for who they hate the least. Pithy, but true.

Your story is getting predictably boring. Hopefully you'll toss in a mass shooting just to end it.

Until, that closing statement from the admin assistant....

Anticipating next chapter; hopefully it won't be too long of a wait.

As I'm a hopeless romantic; I'd hope for a nice reconciliation but, it seems there maybe too many skeletons in the closet for the poor doctor.

He might just be better off hooking up with a number of graduate students; might be needed to at least balance the scales. It would appear that there maybe a number of them that would gladly fill the role of loving wife for him...

But, it's the author's story; I'll try to enjoy the adventure that this one takes us on.

As far as the main character; trusting too much into one's own intellect can sometimes be hazardous.

Who would have ever believed that Huedogg2 had a cheating wife that he tossed from the home and divorced? He is always preaching understanding and forgiveness.

Who knew that Mansions of Madness is a complicated game in which players work together to solve a puzzle and slay a monster, and it takes about two hours to play? Who would have thought that the therapist would have a desk, off to the side, and, in the middle of the room, a small sofa and four upholstered, low-backed lounge chairs forming a conversation circle? Who would have guessed that Ellen's favorite meal was pan-roasted duck breasts with sour cherry sauce, brown and wild rice, and broiled asparagus and a chocolate cake from the bakery, for dessert?

It almost seems like this may be the chain story we have heard whispers about as the writing seems to come from a female in this chapter. I bet that qhml1, Jezzaz, Todd172, and Oshaw don't describe the designs on the drapes and how they match the bedspread in their chain story! They are truly manly men!

I've enjoyed reading this and your ending was superb. I totally felt the wife was remorseful and this was a one time deal. Now, not so sure!

saying I'm understanding would be like me asking "How are YOUR kids doing?" we all know the answer to that........lol

This is a very good story. No human relationship is perfect, because we are imperfect beings, and as such everything we created and do is going to be imperfect as well. Nobody thinks his wife can be unfaithful until he gets suspicious by some clues or she gets caught. How can you rebuilt trust. I think trust is like faith. You have it or you don't. The author put a lot of time and effort trying to portrait the husband's feelings and contradictions. Destroying a marriage is not an easy decision and it will affect the whole family. On the one hand he wants some retribution, and ideally divorce with all its consequences is the ultimate retribution for a cheated spouse. To continue the marriage he would like to have reassurance his wife won't be unfaithful again in the future. As many other cheated spouses he thought his marriage was loving and OK until he realized it wasn't. I can't forget how he begged his wife not to leave that night he exposed her affair when she was going to see her lover, and she chose her lover over him. He asked her several times to stay and come clean, and every time she chose to lie and see her lover. She chose sex over love. I suspect the thrill of cheating is what gives her those penetrative orgasms she is trying so hard to make believe are not relevant to her, and I bet this is not the first time she was unfaithful. She is lying trying to save the marriage, and she will do it again if she thinks she won't get caught. I think she got careless, and obviously if she cheats she does not respect her husband. She likes the comfortable live she has with the husband, but she needs the thrill of cheating. The marriage will never be stronger after cheating. She cheated because she could and wanted something her husband wasn't providing. I got the feeling we were mislead into thinking the husband is inclined to give the marriage and her another chance, but I got the feeling there are more hidden affairs than the one her husband discovered. Like I said a very good story so far. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Bonnie could have a crush on the Professor & trying to stir shit up & cause problems. Probably knows his wife cheated because it's likely already a juicy piece of gossip around campus.....figures she could fan the flames a bit knowing that Dr. Tucker is vulnerable & likely to believe just about anything he hears about his wife right now. To the people who think he shouldn't have had sex with her.....it's actually very common. My ex-husband & I slept together at least half a dozen times between filing for divorce & when the divorce actually went through.....and he CHEATED on me!!!! You're sad, you're lonely, you're terrified of the unknown, scared to death of being alone, your self esteem is absolute shit, and you crave the familiar. Also, both of our lawyers had contracts they have clients sign, do's & don't of divorce, & number one was "Do not date. Do not have sex with anyone unless it's your still current spouse. You are not single. Do not act like you are.".

You spend two chapters providing an excellent deconstruction of a marriage in crisis due to one person’s infidelity, then wallop the reader with a game-changing cliffhanger. I’m really enjoying this story and am looking forward to how you resolve things. Keep up the good work!

. . . to echo Harddaysknight, it's well written, to a point, but much too wordy. Also, it seems to be devoid of real intense emotion - very dry and business-like for the most part. I am looking forward to continuing the read. Try not to make us wait too long.

BOOM! That last line caused some debris to scatter.

Nice, just when you thought you knew what was going to happen next. Looking forward to the next installment!!

BDEarth

So when does he do the swab dna test on the kids to find out that a) They are not his and b) they have different dads!

Wonderfully done, it hits a bull's eye in my life. I think my former wife's jealousy of my relatively high public profile weakened her enough to be taken in by an amoral predator. If she and I had the benefit of your insightful counseling session dialogue, our marriage might have been saved, at least for a while. But I'm so glad we didn't. I soon found my real soulmate, and we're still 100% in love and lust a quarter-century later. My ex-wife married the mentally abusive serial adulterer, and has lived in a toilet since. (I am hoping for reconciliation in your story. That wife is much more deserving than my ex was.)

Good old Bonnie seems to have stepped in it by keeping this from her boss...

Good story!

I like this story. As someone who has been down this path with marriage counseling, it has a certain... verisimilitude to it. Keep it coming!

hell that's how you let the reader know what kind of character mindset your trying to paint. I mean if your trying to explain a character that lets say every other word out of his mouth is FUCK (I know pretty lame example) then you've gotta write it that way. Instead of saying every other word out of his mouth was a "slang term for copulation"? doesn't carry the same effect. It doesnt mean thats the way you speak or feel. People just gotta have something to bitch about! FUCK EM!!! Reading is a choice. I love when writers can give me a glimpse into the psyche of character like that. If the character thinks the president is douche bag, well that just tells me, this character is an idiot! ;)

Love your writing

She DIDN'T leave on her date anyway. She was GOING to, until he told her all he knew. You ARE correct, I believe, in that I don't think that has been addressed in the therapy.

Chapter one as of my typing had 231 comments, and this one 40. if you are going for the largest number of comments you are on your way.

I was going to look up what I had typed before but changed my mind. The intrigue in your story has me hooked. But I wouldn't be true to myself if I didn't point out a little mistake in your story.

From Chapter 1

I'm Dan: 46 years old, 6 feet, 2 inches tall in my dress shoes, 220 pounds;

Ellen, a few years younger than I am, at 43, is an attractive woman.

From Chapter 2

I'm 46, Dan; I'm rapidly losing whatever it was that made me attractive to men.

I'm not the brightest bulb in the lamp but.......... how did she age three years in two weeks?

Please don't take two weeks to get the next chapter out.

Thanks again

Either (i) she knew his wife was playing a "little game" and never told Dr. Tucker. For a guy who cares about trust so much, how can he ever trust her when she keeps big secrets from him, or (ii) she is wrong, and Mrs. Tucker was not actually playing a "little game" and she just interfered incorrectly with her employer's marriage. Either is a firing offense. She's gone.

""I know I hurt you, Dan, and I'm sorry, but however bad you feel, you aren't feeling what it's like the watch the one you love stop loving you, because you know I never did, and I can't imagine I ever will, but it's what I see you doing to me, and it's killing me."

Your English teacher ever scold you for run on sentences? lol. Remember, a sentence is the expression of a single thought. A paragraph is a collection of similar thoughts(sentences) . The one sentence above should be:

I'm sorry, I hurt you Dan. But however bad you feel, you aren't feeling as bad as I. I am watching the one I love, stop loving me. I never stopped loving you, and I can't imaging I ever will. But I am losing your love, and it's killing me.

Five sentences, not one. each sentence should only have one verb. Mixing multiple verbs makes it impossible here to decide which nouns (Subjects and objects) go with which verbs. On top of this you left implied nouns, and pronouns with references across multiple subjects and objects.

You need an editor, badly. Or english classes.

In first chapter Daniel delivers ultimatum. Marriage is over unless she is honest with him. She isn't but but she workson him, gets him back in bed. The reader sees Daniel's declared absolutes eroding.

Fact is, after they engage in sex where he repeatedly states ''Your mine''-or words to that effect-he basically agrees to stay with her.

He asks her if she has anything else to confess. She vows there have been no others.

He delivers ANOTHER ultimatum.

Ending comment by Bonnie leads readers to believe she might be serial adulterer usin catering business to meet lovers.

The title ''Making an Honest Woman'' came to my mind.

Appears until he follows through on what his wife perceives as feckless ultimatums Mrs. Tucker will not be made an honest woman.

Some years ago in full view of the world ultimatums made

were not fulfilled. He claims he gathers ALL the evidence before coming to a conclusion. Yet he makes dire threats he is not fully commited to carrying out.

As the story unfolds, more and more people know his wife is cheating on him. Her partner, people she and her lover work with-that still confuses me he'e a lawyer, she's a caterer, who could they both work with-and now it seems her cheating is common knowledge at his college. If one administrative assistant knows, all the assistants know...and their friends and spouses.

As the wife will never be made into an honest woman better title might have been, ''Making Him The Quintessential Last To Know Fool''

The last paragraph reeled me in.

1. This continues to be a great story! Totally involving, keeps the reader roaring through it to see what happens next.

2. The collection of comments already posted illustrates beautifully why it's so hazardous to post in Loving Wives, and why a number of writers have given up doing it: because the commenters can, and will, complain about ANYTHING! "How could he serve rice pilaf--it should have been potatoes au gratin! You're a moron!" "Why did he notice the furniture, is he some sort of closet fag interior decorator?" "Why does this asshole cry so much?" "Why does this asshole cry so little?"

I don't mean that people shouldn't post comments--that's the whole point of a comments section. But so many of them (by no means all) seem like excuses to bitch about all the ways the story isn't the way THEY THEMSELVES would have written it. (And, more: to explain why the author is the worst piece of shit ever born.) Here's my advice, y'all: you want a story to go a particular way? YOU write it.

Thanks, ohio

I am enjoying this story greatly and look forward to future installments. I find particularly clever your use of political commentary by the main character to give the impression that he is a pompous ass. It is so easy to dislike people like him. Using his inadequacy in bed was an excellent tool with which to bludgeon his inflated ego. I must admit to laughing when he was figuratively slapped in the face by Bonnie’s comment. I do however admit to hoping they reconcile once he is brought down a notch or two. Well done!

Theakston

Pay no attention to your amateur English critic. He has no idea how to write. Just to demonstrate, there should be no comma after "sorry," and one before "Dan." Nouns of direct address require commas. His second sentence begins with a coordinating conjunction. Conjunctions have a purpose. It is to join two related clauses. When you put a period in front of them, it defeats the purpose. It can be done, but should rarely be done, and certainly not in this case. He has no idea what he's talking about, and should come and take one of my English classes, except I don't teach remedial level classes. Some of us can read complex sentences.

This is well written, and I found it interesting and complicated. I'm looking forward to more from you. Thanks, Randi.

Get it posted . Hurry your ass up

Damn man, not only can you write a kickass story but can also write a kickass op ed. I agree wholeheartedly with everything you said.

WL, No need to apologize for the time between chapters. You warned us ahead of time that you hadn’t finished the story. At least we knew ahead of time. Regulars appreciate knowing ahead so we know whether to get involved in an incomplete story.

I like a good stroke story, but I also appreciate a story that lets us see the psychological motivation of the cheater, effects on the spouse cheated on, and barriers to reconciliation if possible. Ohio was one of the best at that, and we have missed that since ohio has cut back participation here. I liked the window into the psyche of the parties here.

Shit! The guy can barely cook and wouldn't know a chemise from chamois. He always writes manly tales and seldom gives hints on making mint julips and slow roasting duck a l'ornage. Yes he sits on a lot of different furniture, but he can't describe it worth a crap. If you start writing like Ohio, young lady, you will become one of the very best Literotica has ever seen.

I still stand by my comment that if you want to write from a husband's POV, skip the descriptions of clothes and cooking because most men just wouldn't spend much effort discussing hair, clothes, or decorating a room. Men will talk about football, tits, beer, and tits. You can't go wrong limiting the husband's observations to those subjects. I may not be an Ohio,(he is our elder STATEsman, after all) but I know I don't hang with guys that know how to cook duck!

I didn't see that coming!! I figured something was but not that! Well play Sir, well played!

This bloke is a well-rounded human, not a caveman. He has been doing the cooking at home since early in Ch.01.

He is a professor in anthropology, intellectual and observant.

He loves his kids and gets them to play games involving the whole family. He chooses collaborative games rather than competitive. He is concerned that they don't read enough books. He is a caring parent.

I like the details. It lets me know something about the situation and the character. I agree totally with Ohio.

WendyLicker likes to put details in. Various commenters like to pick on details to complain about. Everybody's doing what they like doing.

Lue

I still don't see eye to eye with your protagonist, he is a little too intellectual and a little wimpy towards his cheating wife, but your writing is top notch.

I had an intuitive notion about the twist by the way the story was written. Very well done!

You convincingly wrote your protagonist as somewhat clueless, even though very intelligent, while enmeshing subtle hints about the twist.

Still fascinated and waiting on edge for more. My personal hope is for a far more "alpha" type to emerge from this good and intellectual victim of betrayal and for your slut wife to be fully and totally cut open surgically, broken down to her basic elements and possibly be reassembled in a more beneficial form.

I am not a reconciliation or divorce fan, just love realistic repercussions for shitty behavior.

Shakespeare is an obvious favorite. I don't mind stories where people behave like morons, I just despise those stories that gloss over the effects of vile actions and the aftermath.

Good story. I'm really enjoying it thus far.

But something is very wrong... The curveball (or googly for you Brits) we've been thrown is that someone is suggesting she was a serial cheater. How, exactly does that make sense... given the title, "Making an Honest Woman..." How does one make a serial cheater an honest woman... open marriage? man and his hot-wife? Not anything this husband has shown any indication of tolerating - much less liking.

I'll keep reading because the writing has been really good... but I find myself both cautiously optimistic and very skeptical at the same time... much like this story's Dr. Dan Taylor.

This author is obviously very talented , and can spin a yarn that seemingly 95% of the readership seems to really be enjoying . I'm not saying I'm in the other 5% yet , but if not for the last paragraph , I probably would have been .

There is another author who used to contribute ( and especially comment ) on this site who reminds me very much of your style . The Unoriginalist made so many favorites lists it wasn't funny . People generally loved his works . They made my eyes glaze over . Seriously , whatever learning defects I have would kick in and I just could not keep my mind from wandering all over the place .

Maybe HDK is onto it with the hyper descriptions , I honestly don't know , but be aware that a small part of your readership needs some kind of literary device to keep our ADD addled minds involved !

Sad but true .

P.S. Ohio , I truly wish I could !

I had forgotten this story until I noticed it was receiving a good number of comments. I’m glad I came back to it. The first chapter of this story felt like nothing more than a lecture. Yet another story that began at the ending. A “murder mystery” where we know whodunnit before the story begins.

Dan seemed like just another perfect (and stoic) husband, and Ellen seemed like just another air-headed wife who can’t control her hormones and cheats for no reason.

Man, you completely flipped that script with this chapter! Dan isn’t so perfect after all. He may be smarter, a better cook, more moral, etc., etc., but he can’t seem to satisfy his wife in bed. That has made him a very insecure person. He’s no longer a one-dimensional cartoon character. He has flaws and depth.

Ellen still comes across as very bubble-headed, and insecure herself...until that ingenious twist at the end! Has she been playing her husband all this time? I often criticize how evil wives are portrayed here, but if you can create a villainous wife who is an evil GENIUS, then that’s an interesting twist!

My only critique of this chapter was that it was a bit too wordy with all the dialog back-and-forth. I understand why it’s needed, but try to break it up every now and then. Some very interesting and thought-provoking philosophical observations were lost in this story among paragraphs and paragraphs of feelings expressed and considered.

Very solid work here. Thanks for your contribution.

I believe HDK is one of the most entertaining and innovative writers on this site. I loved when he took lsd to task. Often I disagree with luedon but she does raise interesting points.

I was hod carrier for over 30 years. I recall many construction site lunches and breaks, but tits and beer were not often discussed. Some guys mentioned football, some rebuilt cars and talked about their progress. However most of our conversations were about politics or local news.

One mason had always done the family cooking. True he was bit off-kilter at times but his meals were excellent.

I often shake my head when comments generalize men as beer drinking groin scratchers who are helpless without a female making decisions for them. Masonry construction all but ceases during winter in Montana. Those conditions had me staying at home taking complete care of our sons when they were new born. One winter, I learned punch embroidery so I could have this unique design on my chambray shirt. After our boys came, my wife and I gave up the partying. Spring summer and fall I was landscaping, building and tending to flower beds in addition to the food garden.

I recall a biblical line about a time to put away childish things. I imagine that extends teenage age boy topics of discussion.

I took the author's layout of the counselor's room to be setting the scene so I could visualize that encounter.

What? That last sentence sure through a wrench I the works! Solid 4 plus, hoping the next chapter is a Five!

wendylicker said:

"...this is only an observation, but if you can't stand to hear a fictional character criticize someone you admire, then I think you may be taking these stories a little too seriously."

- I wholeheartedly agree. But wait a minute, you mean there are people who actually ADMIRE a lying, egotistical, fascist POS, morally and mentally unqualified for higher office or any other office?

Wow! Anyway, back to the important stuff.

On the whole this is good stuff, a balance of good narrative and (mostly) believeable dialogue. I find two particular things that don't ring true.

1 The title is impying that at some point she becomes honest. I can't see even a little forshadowing of that event. She still seems a selfish, manipulative, now somewhat guilty slut. I don't know how many episodes are planned but she just continues to rant about how she's a changed woman. Yeah, right.

2. The man of your piece seems, well unmanly, not effeminate but not capable of feeling the emotions that a normal man would feel. It's not a question of self control or of choice. A man is hardwired to feel certain things as much as a woman is to feel things on other cues. He just doesn't act as feelings should COMPELL him to act. Yes, I get the educated professor thing but we are talking about what he feels, not how he acts as a result which he manages with the greatest of ease, no conflict and no difficulty. Then there is how he acts. He acts as any woman would hope and pray a man would act if they believes his hurt shouldn't matter. That is to say, unrealistically. He can master his emotions. That's fine, (most men would find that control admirable), but not without any difficulty at all.

These I just found odd and inconsistent with his character.

"I was aware that my reaction to the surprise I'd gotten yesterday was irrational, and the result of how deeply ingrained in my psyche were the cultural stereotypes of masculinity. He'd insulted me, and, reason that away if I might, I still had to respond in order to maintain my self respect."

- "cultural stereotypes"! What is this new age pschobabble? No man would think this. This is not a choice. This is a natural reaction. A primal reaction, as much a part of a man's DNA as noticing a woman walk by. This is instinct not stereotype.

""This isn't going to fix everything," I said.

"I don't care about that, right now," she replied. "Just come upstairs and make love to me, please."

We stood, and she came up to me, almost shyly, her eyes lowered. She put her hands on my chest, and I placed mine on her hips. She said, surprised, "You've lost weight."

"A few pounds," I told her.

"It looks good.""

- This is just so wrong. Typical female fantasy fully on course for RAAC. Just fuck it all away. And the weight loss? It doesn't look good because its not a steady healthy weight loss, its a sudden one born of sadness and despair. It's bad diet and lack of proper nutrition.

This man seems to lack any genuine emotional range. His pain, sadness, anger and sense of betrayal should preclude any chance of just sticking his dick in her and playing happy families again. How can he even get it up for the faithless lying slut after her mountain of deceit. It reads like a Mills and Boon fantasy. Perhaps this would have been better posted as Romance than LW. I do wonder what the author believes IS genuine cause for divorce?

Then the shrink says this. "Why do you continue to doubt her?"

-Duh! 'cause he's not an idiot? She's not that smart for a shrink. I sincerely hope her only purpose is not to use her superior feminine wisdom to guide the "foolish man" to his enevitable RAAC. Reconciliation is fine but it must be earned. It can't come for free.

Well that's it. Apologies for the long post.

Keep it up. There are too few thinkers in LIT and far too many cucks or full on revenge seeking Rambos in LW.

Maybe there were clues in the sub-titles.

Ch.01: Betrayal is the only truth that sticks.

Ch.02: Never trust wholly those who have deceived you even once.

And yet, the title is 'Making an Honest Woman'.

I'm confused.

Lue

I wasn’t sure where it was heading, since at that point the “plot” was similar to hundreds of other stories here on Literotica. Again, well written in the sense of dialogue, description, personal feelings, etc. so I was waiting until part 2.

So part 2 starts, again well written, ete., etc. Some of the best “in therapy” discussions (a lot had to do with dialogue) of any story I’ve read. But some unsual insights that are alluded to in some stories, but are very well and succinctly covered here. Of course a lot of it, again, has to do with the dialog.

And I sure was thinking this was going to be, though very well written, a plain vanilla RAAC. Then you you hit me with the last sentence. WOW!!! Now you’ve got me on tenterhooks. Did not see that one coming.

Then again, I did not read the chapter description at the top that someone pointed out pointed out the direction the direction you were going. Sometimes I read that to indicate if I want to read on in a story, as I’m so-so on it so far. But chapter 1 was good enough for me to forego that. It is like with some authors (of commercial works) I will read the inside jacket cover (or back of paperback) to see if I’ll shell out money for the book. Some authors I just buy the book and start reading because they have never disappointed me before, like Pratchett or Bujold (but as soon as they do, it’s back to reading the jacket, like Clancy and Le Carré)

And, yes, you are very “descriptive” in pointing out things such as clothes, personal physical appearances, etc., but not overly so IMO. This is not something that is relegated to just female authors (I believe that is what the commentator was intimating), but certain male authors too. But I think it is done just enough to add a little more nuance to what the reader might see of the place/person/situation without having the author go into 3rd person descriptions so the READER can see what’s around (how I wish there was the ability to use BOLD or ITALICS instead of just capitals for emphasis here). Also, there are some people (including male) that see the world is such a way.

There are never any complaints if the scene is seen from a soldier or policeman of the surrounding enviroment to see if danger lurks. The sight lines that must be clear. The possible weapons that might be carried into an area. Never heard a complaint there. My wife sees the fabric and cut of clothes that people wear, all the friggin’ time (and once she started pointing it out I started to too, but nowhere near to the degree she does) as she used to make a lot of her own clothes (very poor growing up). I used to be a restaurant manager, and would see in each new restaurant I’d walk into the layout, the number of wait staff per customer, the number of items on the menu, the amount of food they would need ordered ahead of time for the kitchen, the number of cooks they.’d need to not go “into the weeds” on a busy night yet not too many during the off times, if the dishes and ware were clean, how the pricing structure of the menu must be calculated from according to the wholesale prices I knew the raw food to be, etc. etc. etc. (It took me almost 10 years post restaurant management to stop that and to just enjoy the damn food). I’m sure mechanics and engineers see and notice the function of a machine in their head that would bore the crap out of most. You see authors go ad infinitum about the design, construction, performance of a car that would just bore the crap of a lot of people.

People see what’s important to them all the time. The secret is to not over do it for the the majority of the intended reader. And I think it’s just about right here.

To keep going, I don’t see people complain about what model car, and condition of such, is being driven. Some authors just say, “...and we picked up her car and drove home.” Others go into the year, the color, the model, the engine size, the exhaust, the tuning, the suspension, etc. Some just say the protagonist bought an RV. Others go into details of length, number of beds, diesel or gas, etc. Others say , “... and he pulled out a gun...” Others go into the make, model, caliber, magazine capacity, pre/post WWII, grip type, etc. You get the drift. Again, as long as you don’t over do it. (Is someone getting the gist of what I’m saying/doing?)

And to the person that complained about run-ons? As long as the run-on is within quotations it should be fine. People often speak in run-on sentences as that is how some people speak since it’s off the top of their head so can’t stop go back and edit how or what they are saying further on. Now, if the run-on is done outside the quote, then it is an error. It is adjacent to one of my pet peeves of not using contrations with dialogue. Very few native English speakers (on either side of “the pond”) use few or no contrations in there normal everyday speech. The only people I commonly hear speak that way are non-native speakers who learned English from a textbook, where they teach the most proper forms of English. And no slangs or dialects. If an author wishes to write in that manner outside of the quotation marks, that is fine. Is it correct English? Yes. But within dialogue it just does not flow well.

Anyways, keep it up. Can’t wait for the next installment.

I can't think of a single one that, following the questionable stuff you've hinted at, won't result in a chapter that I'd give a lower rating than I'd give this one or the first one.

I guess ill just need to wait and see...

Also, it is not necessarily the job of one’s employees to point out possible problems at home. If a buck private saw his CO’s wife stepping out on him, is it his job to report it? It all depends on how close a relationship they have. Perhaps at one point the boss told him/her “keep out of my private life.” You just don’t know at this point of the story.

Oh, BTW, this chapter gets 5-stars. The previous chapter was very very good, but 4-stars.

Very nicely done. 5 Stars.

I like it so far. I’m hoping that it doesn’t turn out that she is a evil serial cheater. The characters as they are now are likeable and relatable. Hope the next chapter comes soon. I’m hoping for a happy ending with this one. 😜

Well written and unlike mental midgets like Crkcppr who could not care how well written a story is but only goes on the storyline/outcome I will rate this highly whatever the outcome, be it btb or raac.

Thanks for the story.

What I think is missing is a history of what made the couples marriage great before her cheating. So far I can read about as egotistical professor that studies the human evolution and a wife that seems to enjoy? The cheating and the ending sentence that might imply that her games might be more indulgent are not offset with a loving and happy past years of happiness. Could it be that the wife has just been using her husbands prestige and income to establish her own "happy world"? I love the detail given in these chapters that make it seem like a real story but, I'm looking forward to you filling in the holes left behind. Very good writing skills that have generated a lot of amusing comments (as well as insightful ones).

A very interesting cliffhanger!

Chapter 1 had me thinking this was going to be a story about a difficult reconciliation. I do like those type of stories, in my opinion they are harder to write plausibly than a fantasy BTB. Wasn't surprised to see "ohio" chime in on this one, he's one of the few I've seen that can consistently pull off a reconciliation that is painful in parts, yet feels earned at the end and the couple is in the right place because of it. Chapter 1 did make me wonder if I could accept where the story could be going by the end, because of a detail already mentioned by others.

In Chapter 1, the opening scene where the husband all but told her he knew, and she was still going out on her date until confronted with certainty that he knew. That moment bothered me as well, and as Chapter 2 progressed and it wasn't brought up, I got more bothered. Now that I've read the end, I'm thinking that was not an oversight on the writer's part, but not addressed because to do so, would have spoiled the ending of this chapter. I can understand why the author wouldn't address that in the story, if it was going to blow the twist. If that's the case, it's understandable from the writer's point of view, but still a bit annoying that the intelligent husband never once brought it up in therapy.

I can live with that for the moment, but hoping a future chapter covers his reason for not bringing it up. As Chapter 2 progressed, I was liking the idea of reconciliation even less. I do think the author dropped enough hints so that I was hoping for the ending we got. That's just playing fair, and I appreciate it.

Throughout the story, the husband still had doubts, despite her saying all the right things. Then, when he switched therapists, his new one brought up the idea of "power games." Looking at that as a possible motivation, her decision to go through on her date now makes sense. It was a power play. Unless confronted with absolute certainty, she was making her move. That's an explanation I can accept in this context.

If she's been doing this for years, and so skillful the original therapist thinks they should reconcile, I can see her current desire to avoid divorce to fit the pattern. She may or may not love her husband, but she could like being in control even more. Not divorcing is her way of "winning" in the end, despite a setback. Now I have no idea where this story actually will go, but if it's headed along the lines I've outlined, I consider that earned. I hate a mystery where the author just pulls out an ending no one expects because ... twist. I much prefer mysteries where a discerning reader can at least see the clues in hindsight. This story has the feel of one of the latter.

And as far as other comments ... bitching about descriptions of the food? Jesus Fucking Christ. I will say I actually liked that part, and I'm a man. Not everyone has the same likes for a style of story, but to speak for all men and actually suggest an author change the style to suit a particular person's whim because "all guys," is a comments' section at its worst.

Again LIKED it!! Forget the editor thing. I have written work/professional reports encompassing millions of dollars...someone to proof read, catch obvious errors i miss is helpful...but NOT someone to "edit" my work.

Your story is well done; hope to see more!!

So says Mrs. Nonethewiser, who liked the story but thinks the fact that the Catering business was making a lot of money of late is suspicious.

Soooo cynical. Sooooo jaded.

Very clever but I hope you are not accurate here.

Those stories are interesting but this one would loose much credibility if it went that route.

I have been reading and commenting on stories on this site for years, you are doing great! Can't wait for the next episode. A 5 from me. Thanks for the story.

"Buckeye Fan"

the plot thickens. Got me hooked for sure.

"And the weight loss? It doesn't look good because its not a steady healthy weight loss, its a sudden one born of sadness and despair. It's bad diet and lack of proper nutrition." - I COULD be mistaken, but wasn't the weight loss do to his working out at the gym? He's a GOOD cook!

As Mrs. NoneTheWiser suggests, and if the PI didn't find that out and tell Dan, then the PI has been incompetent and Dan should demand a full fee refund.

Lue

I'm just gonna add my real world experiences of "hard typical piggish men at construction sites" And I got to work along side almost every trade you can imagine.

We don't all cook, but some of us do cook fancy or basic foods. Some of us sing silly pop songs instead of hard rock or rap. I'm just saying it's pretty diverse. Topics vary a lot while slugging away in the elements.

Yea, we talk sports, cars, tits, beer, but that's like half of it. HDK is right that someone can easily pigeon hole a man and literally no one will care, but I gotta say it's NICE and feels good to read male characters with a lil' more depth. Thanks author, appreciate the read.

You could grow potatoes in this load of crap

You're on fire! I read both parts and thought "what a seasoned author" only to look at your credits and see these were your first submissions! Maybe you've been somewhere else? I am in awe. The story started out strong and kept on going.

I enjoy your descriptions. They put meat on the bones of the story. I assumed by the pen name you were male and I still think so, even after the carping by some of the less observant males making comments. I am a guy who loves women and I notice what they wear. It interests me to see how they present themselves. It's fun to try to figure out what they were aiming for. You have to scout the opposition.

So keep it up. You are interesting and have interesting insights. Don't let the moronymous crowd push you around.

Another thing - I didn't mind the politics. It lets us see into the guys head and given his role in life shouldn't surprise anyone, anyhow.

I understand his feelings towards his wife as well. It's hard to stop caring after such a long time. Our married lives are tangled together and nearly impossible to separate without painful cuts.

Well done! Keep it up!

Can a "professional" be any more pompous and self ASSured than this protagonist? If there is anything that can be said, this author is either an actual professor (who really endures the "hardships" of faculty life hahaha), or is married to one (or is dating one long enough to get a feel for the indoctrination of ideologists). I've not read a character so in love with themselves and faultless in virtue - and sure of it (to the point of denouncing the possibility of a "God", if not a higher power, as a form of self actualization.... i.e. I can't affirm any higher power because it is untestable in my limited world, thus it is not real and impossible even as "impossible" things happen every day even though I'm not paying attention).

Finding fault with a person so highly self regarded is FUN

Thanks for that entertainment - gotta love poking fun at the self absorbed "smart set".

Smokepole

BTW if he was "ignoring his wife so much, how badly was he ignoring those children he claims to "love"? We see all sorts of cracks in the actualization he is building for himself. What kind of breakdown will he have when he realizes he is the only one at fault for some of his issues? (the second counselor hits on something when it is mentioned that divorce is his way of striking back, as well as calling him out on his presumptive authority/intelligence)

I don't understand why everyone thinks this new twist is a good thing. While she's a repentant sinner there are two possible outcomes. If, on the other hand, she's a pathological liar and a slut to boot there can be only one outcome. It will be manna for the BTB crowd but a death sentence for the rest of us.

That would depend on what Dan asked the PI to investigate. He may have asked the PI to look into certain times to check her activity. The more hours you ask the PI to spend on the case the more it costs.

If it turns out Ellen is some kind of promiscuous serial cheater, then how did she convince the therapist that their marriage was worth saving? If Ellen is some kind of split personality between a slut and a perfect wife and mother, then we are now reading about a mentally dysfunctional woman who can say and do anything in this story without having to make sense: she's just clever and crazy? And how do you analyze the behavior of a character that, due to her mental illness, cannot be expected to act like a normal human being?

The result is your story becomes a Bitches Be Crazy cartoon, with no real human emotion or drama or suspense. Ellen is a brilliant demented psychopath, who can fool her husband, her children, professional therapists, private investigators, every fucking body! Well, except for Bonnie, who apparently knows all about Ellen's "little game." And the way Bonnie said it, it sounded like Dan Tucker is the only person who doesn't know what Ellen's game is. So you are putting your plot into a bit of a box.

If Ellen is bullshitting the therapist and trying to save her marriage, why did she reveal to the therapist that her lover was better than her husband at sex? How would that help her clever scheme to hide her true cheating heart? Or did Ellen have prearrangements with all three therapists to be part of her conspiracy?

And if Ellen is so clever and sneaky, how did her daughter see a text message about her mother's pussy on Ellen's unattended phone? Why would a clever serial cheater be using her personal family phone to communicate with her lovers? And come to think of it, why didn't Dan examine Ellen's messages and voice mail on her phone once he learned his daughter saw such a blatant message. Which also begs the question, why didn't the private investigator arrange to examine Ellen's phone as part of his investigation, and well as bug her car with voice and GPS tracking? That should have revealed there was more to Ellen's game than just this one guy she was fucking. Hell, Dan could have arranged for the PI to meet up with Ellen's lover and offer to hide his affair from his wife if the lover will give up all the details about his affair with Ellen, including if she revealed other affairs she has had: "Ellen's husband doesn't really give a shit about you, he just wants to know the whole story about what his wife has been doing behind his back, with you or with anyone else. You help us and Dan Tucker will forget you exist. Refuse, and your wife gets the whole story, with color photographs. Yeah, go ahead and threaten a law suit. Any money you get from him is less he has to split with his whore wife. And it will just add to what you have to split with your wife. When she sees and hears the video's she will take you for every cent she can get. Save yourself, or go down with Ellen, its your call."

Sooner or later you or going to have to show Bonnie is totally mistaken, or Ellen has been spoofing everyone who should know her best, and the author has been spoofing the readers.

Can't wait to see if it is a rabbit you pull out of this hat, or just a pile of rabbit shit. I will wait to rate the entire work.

That's fine with me.This story is coming from the heart although the narrator veers very close to ineffectual intellectual end of spectrum. Ditto on previous cliffhanger kudos. It grinds my gears that Ellen talks the talk about regret yet lets man character take brunt of fallout, just as she shirked her dishwashing chores and was blase cook.

Has Ellen been outed as serial user / player. as well indifferent , semi-slacking housekeeper ? There are hiccups in narrative technique just as narrator has missed precursor to infidelity cues. But in the long run, my money is on both author and protagonist eventually finding their way. Can't wait to know for sure.

Full marks *****

I am enjoying this story. This chapter gets a five from me.

Bonnie's comment could be nothing more than her mistaken opinion. We'll find out soon (I hope). I'm not sure Wendylicker knows where this story is going. The author did state in their preface that "I went down a long blind alley, and had to back up and go in a different direction."

Lot of talking and thinking in circles but not any kind of action. Can't blame the wife if she dumps him.

Much ado has been made of the twist at chapter 2's end.

However, the title is the original twist of the story. Making an honest woman of someone has long been understood to be a man finally marrying a woman he with whom he has had lemgthy sexual relationship

Within the first paragraphs the reader realizes the author decided to use that phrase in it's literal sense.

When I first read the title and chapter 1 tagline, I thought this story was about a cheating fiancee. By the end of the first few paragraphs, I had recognized the author's clever twist. I was duly impressed and read on eager to learn how he would make his wife be honest.

Having read and interpreted that the tagline to chapter 2 indicated another betrayal, I had serious doubts about my powers of deduction until the final sentence.

Sure this isn't a literary masterpiece of all time. I have enjoyed this one so far rough in places. But with out roughness some of the greatest gems would not exist. I look forward to your next chapter.

Now we know why Dan hates Trump so much. He's a girly man who knows about fashion and cooking but can't take care of his woman in bed. Those are the kind of men who voted for the cunt.

@Anonymous Re: "Careful" - While her husband may have interpreted it that way, she DIDN'T say that her lover was better at sex, just that he gave her an orgasm during sex. She was quite clear that except for the orgasm itself, it wasn't fun for her, and it actually meant more for her lover than for her!

I know I've already said this on both chapters, but why all the angst about the main characters having side interests and political views. We so often read complaints about "cardboard" characters, the when an author gives us a fleshed out character, people complain!

Because David Dennison is a closet cuck who sucks Putin's pecker, just like Davy's witless and cockless Russia-loving/America-hating sycophants.

Fuck-off back to Moscow, you POS commie.

According to both wife and husband, she had never had a VAGINAL orgasm, though her husband had given her numerous other orgasms quite proficiently.

My understanding is such an orgasm is achieved with no clitoral stimulation. Only penile manipulation in the vagine. Such an orgasm is brought about by penile contact with the G spot.

Certainly ludon is better equipped-kind of punny-to inform us males if my definition and description is accurate.

From the couple's initial sexual act the husband seems to have interpreted his wife's disclosure about naver having had such an orgasm to meaning she was incapable of having one. The wife indicated she was content with orgasms induced by other means and husband accepted that acceptance.

The wife stated that the vagina orgasm brought one by her lover was a minor one. My eyebrows raised when I read that ''honest'' disclosure. Additionally, the G spot is most easily found and massaged by fingers.

Admittedly my experience is limited to the women I have had sexual relations with, but my observations of G spot orgasms are they are intense and much more often than not result in ''squirting''.

I will state that I do find it strange that in all the sex they had as a couple that while he was penetrating her, her clitoris was never in correct contact with his pubic bone to result in an orgasm. Did she never go Cowgirl Up? Did SHE know so little about her anatomy to not realize how easily most females can bring about orgasms in that position?

Once again my experience is that by second time in that position with a particular partner, the woman knows a wiggle here and a shift there will bring her into alignment to orgasm when she chooses.

From my standpoint this couple had little if any instructive communication about sex. Neither she nor he sought to educate themselves.

I can only speak from my own perspective. From my first necking session, I made her pleasure the most important factor. I always derived the most pleasure by tending to hers first and foremost, and second and third...after all I did want her to invite me back.

Then again as I have heard in the media ad nauseam, I am merely a male. What the HELL could I possibly know.

If I were to buy your logic then you would have to say that Putin's cock is like borscht and best served cold.

I'd agree with the comments that him never having given her a vaginal orgasm does take a bit of the shine off of his halo. From the description of events, it's not like the lover went to any great lengths; he just tried a few different positions, found one that hit the G-spot the right way after just a few tries, and had fun with that.

The husband obviously could have done the same, and the fact that he didn't indicates a level of unconcern about her pleasure or some lack of interest in having any variety in their sex life that, while I don't think justifies cheating, at least gives an explanation for her behavior beyond "she got the cock-crazies".

That ending, though... For those saying that Bonnie is disloyal and he'll fire her, you seem to be missing the hierarchy here. She's the administrative assistant for the department, not him, which means this is more-or-less analogous to your <i>boss'</i> secretary noticing that something is going on with your wife: She doesn't necessarily have a sufficient personal connection or loyalty that she's going to tell you, but concomitantly, if she does want to tell you, it's not like she's breaking any rules to do so.

I wait with eager anticipation to see what the secret actually is. The straightforward BTB route is that the wife has been fucking around (or maybe even running an escort service, like another comment posited), and then it's just a question of whether he just gets out quickly or tries to punish her, and how to protect the kids.

The more interesting route (to me) would be if the "little games" are pretty much just that, that she's been flirting heavily with other people at university events, feeding off of the attention, but without actual sex. That makes her sins worse, without actually contradicting anything she's said. She still only crossed the line once; it's just that she went right up to the edge of the line pretty often.

My issue is that I still don't have a handle on who the wife is, because her actions seem self-contradictory:

* I cannot believe that any rational human being who wasn't in an exit affair would continue planning to go out on a date after the husband confronted her. Even if she didn't love him, even if she was planning on leaving him later, any rational person would at least cancel that evening and do damage control. Only someone who flat-out didn't give a rat's ass about the marriage any more (and emphatically despised their husband) would have behaved as she did that night.

* However, her subsequent actions show someone who desperately cares about staying married, and at least wants to be perceived as loving her husband.

I can't reconcile those two. I also don't get why her behavior on confrontation night wasn't a huge topic of discussion in counseling, as pretty clear evidence of how little she really cared about the marriage and how important the affair was to her.

The last line was the kicker; who knows what will be revealed in Chapter 3?

The story was going along pretty well for a reconciliation tale, and it's my guess that many (most?) first affairs wind up in reconciliation in real life. A couple married this long has too much invested in their lives together to split easily, and the author did a good job of describing that. It has occurred to me that if WendyLicker is a woman, she's written a story which is a deliberate reversal of the more common situation, a cheated-on wife having to come to grips with staying with a husband who screwed around.

The suggested possibility that the catering business is a cover for an escort service is humorous. Given that the author has already stated that he rewrote Chapter 2 in response to reader comments, that might just happen. :)

The last line leaves some intriguing possibilities: might Dan lose any regained trust for Ellen, even without any more evidence than his assistant's word? Is the assistant trying to score herself a divorcing tenured professor? Or has Ellen been playing around with more than just the one guy?

However, to the commenter who said that she should have been canned for not telling Dan about Ellen's tryst when she first found out/suspected, that's really not common in real life. People in employer/subordinate relationships normally see a mind-your-own-business aspect to a question like that.

As the party who wasn't completely satisfied with their sex life the burden was on HER to bring it to his attention. Their earlier conversations: "she never had to ask me to get her off, and she never complained or seemed to mind," would lead any man that she was content with the situation, and I believe that she was! It was the lover who took giving her a vaginal orgasm on as a challenge, not her needing it. Again, IF she felt unsatisfied because she didn't orgasm during vaginal sex, then the burden was on HER to communicate that to her husband, to give him the opportunity to try other methods and positions.